Greeting card

ABSTRACT

A greeting card made of a single sheet of material and adapted for holding a substantially flat object, comprises at least two sections separated by a single folding line, a first of the two sections having a smaller dimension than the second section in the direction perpendicular to the folding line. One of the two sections is formed with at least one slit spaced from the folding line and the other section is formed with at least one slit-engaging portion insertable into the at least one slit when the greeting card is folded along the folding line. Thereby, the first section lies flat over the second section and a pocket is formed for holding a flat object.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to the field of greeting cards in generaland particularly to the field of greeting cards that hold flat objectssuch as photographs, cheques, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A greeting card is a commodity produced on large scale and in avast range of forms and shapes. Frequently, it is used on holidays andcelebrations, where it is given along with a present. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,096,058 discloses a greeting card folded to form acompartment having a volume for storing a box of candies or the like.

[0003] Often, the present is in the form of a cheque or cash inserted inan envelope together with a greeting card. Greeting cards incorporatingflat objects such as cheques or photographs are disclosed, for example,in GB 2143177A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,896, U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,897, U.S.Pat. No. 6,148,550, and others.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,550 relates to the manufacturing of agreeting card including a money pocket attached to its internal surfaceby means of an adhesive agent.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,897 provides a reversible greeting, letterand/or photograph frame with cover, which may be folded to aself-contained structure to be mailed without an envelope, and which maybe reversed into a photo-stand to hold a photograph.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,896 provides a dioramic greeting cardconstructed of three panels, one of which is formed with a windowthrough which a picture or writing, printed or adhered on another panel,can be seen.

[0007] GB 2143177 refers to folding a one-piece blank into a six-foldgreeting card including a window that allows the viewing of a photographinserted therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided agreeting card with a pocket for holding a substantially flat object,made of a single sheet of material and comprising two sections separatedby a single folding line, a first of said two sections having a smallerdimension than the second section in the direction perpendicular to thefolding line. One of the sections is formed with at least one slitspaced from the folding line and the other section is formed with atleast one slit-engaging portion insertable into said at least one slit.The greeting card is designed so that, when it is folded along thefolding line and the slit-engaging portion in one of the sections isinserted into the slit in the other section, the first section lies flatover the second section, whereby a flat pocket is formed adapted fortightly holding a flat object. Since the sections have differentdimensions, the pocket occupies only a part of the larger section,whereby some space may be left free for greetings or other suitablenotes.

[0009] In one embodiment, the at least one slit is formed in the secondsection of the greeting card, and the slit-engaging portion is formed inthe first section of the greeting card. The slit in the second portionmay be parallel to the folding line with the slit-engaging portion inthe first section being in the form of a tab accordingly projecting fromthe edge of the first portion opposite the folding line. Alternatively,the second section of the greeting card may have a plurality of slits,which may be oriented transversely to the folding line, withslit-engaging portions being located at the side edges of the firstsection. Also, the second section may comprise two diagonal slitspositioned to receive two respective corners of the first section.

[0010] Other embodiments are possible, where the slit or slits areformed in the first section and the slit-engaging portions are formed inthe second section, or the first and the second sections are each formedwith both a tab and a slit to form slit-tab interengaging pairs withcorresponding slit and tab of the other section.

[0011] Dimensions of the first and second sections in the directionparallel to the folding line may be equal or may differ. For example,the first section may be shorter than the second section. Shapes of thefirst and second sections may vary. Also, the design of theslit-engaging portion and the slits may vary as well as theirdimensions.

[0012] It is desirable in all the above embodiments that the distancebetween the slit and the folding line and, consequently, thecorresponding dimension of the pocket formed in the greeting card, besubstantially equal to the corresponding dimension of the flat object tobe held by the card. This is particularly applicable to cheques whichare normally of standard dimensions.

[0013] In addition, the first section may be formed with a cutout, in alocation adjacent to said slit-engaging portion, extending along atleast most of the length of the slit-engaging portion, whereby a holdingarea is formed in the first section between the cutout and theslit-engaging portion, adapted to exert pressure on the flat object whenheld in the pocket of the greeting card. Additionally, or alternatively,the cutout may serve as a window in the pocket, enabling the recipientof the card to see the flat object held in the pocket without taking itout or opening the pocket.

[0014] The greeting card may further comprise a side flap projectingfrom one of side edges of the second section. The flap is preferablyseparated from the second section by one additional folding line and isadapted to cover the window, giving the greeting card further aestheticvalue. The flap is preferably detachably attachable to the firstsection, when said greeting card is folded along the folding linebetween the first and second sections and when the flap is folded alongthe additional folding line.

[0015] The greeting card may further comprise a third sectionsubstantially equal in size to the second section, separated therefromby a second additional folding line parallel to the folding line betweenthe first and second sections. When this third section is folded alongthe second additional folding line, it covers the second section withthe pocket, with the side flap attached thereto (when the card has suchside flap), to form an external face of the greeting card.

[0016] The greeting card in accordance with the present invention issimple and inexpensive in manufacture, being made of a single sheet ofmaterial without any need for adhesive means. It has a relatively smallnumber of sections and, consequently, a small number of folding lines,and is easily foldable by a user. It is particularly advantageous forenhousing such popular gifts as cheques or cash money, since they may besafely held by the pocket of the greeting card.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to understand the invention and to see how it may becarried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described,by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet of material for forming agreeting card in accordance with the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet shown in FIG. 1, in theprocess of being folded to form a pocket in the greeting card of thepresent invention;

[0020]FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views of a sheet of which a greeting cardis made in accordance with alternative embodiments of the presentinvention;

[0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a greeting card in accordance withthe present invention, with a pocket and a flap covering it; and

[0022]FIG. 5 is a plan view of a sheet of material for forming agreeting card in accordance with still a further alternative ofembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023]FIG. 1 shows a sheet 5 of material for forming a greeting card 10in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, depicted inFIGS. 2 and 4. The material of which the sheet is made may be anymaterial conventionally used for greeting cards such as cardboard,plastic and the like. The greeting card is designed for holding a flatobject 100 such as a cheque having a length l and a width w. It shouldbe noted that, when it is desired that the greeting card be of a compactdesign, the flat object may be held there in a folded state, in whichcase the dimensions l and w characterize the object when folded.

[0024] The sheet 5 comprises a first section 20, a second section 30 anda third section 40. The first and the second sections 20 and 30 areseparated by a folding line 15, and the second and the third sections 30and 40 are separated by a folding line 16. The lengths of the foldinglines 15 and 16, as well as of the corresponding dimension L of theentire sheet, are preferably not shorter than the length l of the flatobject 100.

[0025] The first section 20 has a smaller dimension d than thecorresponding dimension D of the second section 30, the dimension dbeing not less and, preferably, essentially equal to the width w of theflat object to be held by the greeting card 10.

[0026] The second section 30 is formed with a slit 25 parallel to thefolding line 15 and spaced therefrom to a distance equal or slightlygreater than the dimension d referred to above. Preferably, the lengthof the slit is between 25% and 75%, in particular between 40% and 60%,of the length of the folding line 15. The first section 20 is formedwith a slit-engaging portion in the form of a tab 35 whose length isslightly less than the length of the slit 25 and whose width in thedirection perpendicular to the slit, is only that large as to ensure thesufficiently firm interengagement between the slit and the tab.

[0027] Alternatively, as can be seen in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the secondsection 30 of the sheet 5 may have a plurality of slits 26 or 27 whichmay be oriented transversely to the folding line 15. In FIG. 3A, theslits are perpendicular to the folding line 15 and slit-engaging tabs 36are located at side edges of the first section 20. In FIG. 3B, the slits27 are oriented at an acute angle to the folding line 15 to receive tworespective corners 37 of the first section 20. In both cases, the firstsection 20 is shorter than the second section 30 in the direction alongthe folding line 15.

[0028] Reverting to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first section 20 is formed with acutout 45 having a pair of first edges 47 generally co-directional withthe folding line 15 and a pair of second edges 49 generally transverseto the folding line 15. One of the first edges 47 is located adjacent tothe tab 35, extending along at least most of the tab's length andpreferably along most of the width L of the sheet. Thereby, a holdingarea 50 is formed in the first section 20 between the edge 47 of thecutout 45 and the tab 35, adapted to exert pressure towards the secondsection when the tab 35 is inserted in the slit 25. This provides aholding force on the flat object 100 when held in the pocket 70 of thegreeting card 10. Additionally, the cutout 45 serves as a window in thepocket 70 enabling the recipient of the card to see the flat object 100held there without taking it out or opening the pocket. The cutout 45may be made of smaller dimensions than those defined above, when thereis no need to form the holding area 50, or to form the window in thepocket 70.

[0029] The sheet 5 further comprises a side flap 60 projecting from oneof edges 17 of the second section 30, and separated from the secondsection 30 by an additional folding line 18. The flap 60 has two sideedges 62 of which one is co-linear with the folding line 15 between thefirst and second sections 20 and 30, and a remote edge 64 extendingbetween the side edges 62 and opposite the folding line 18. The remoteedge 64 of the flap 60 is spaced from the folding line 18 to a distancesubstantially equal to that between the folding line 18 and the edge 49of the cutout which is located farther from the folding line 18. Theremote edge 64 of the flap is formed with a tongue 61 so that, when thegreeting card is folded as shown in FIG. 4, the tongue 61 engages thesecond edge 49 of the cutout 45 and the flap 60 covers the cutout 45,thereby giving the pocket 70 and the greeting card 10 further aestheticvalue.

[0030]FIG. 4 illustrates the greeting card 10 formed with the pocket 70as shown in FIG. 2. To form the greeting card, the sheet 5 was foldedalong the folding line 15 and the tab 35 was inserted into the slit 25,which resulted in the first section 20 lying flat over the secondsection 30 (mostly due to the design of the first section and thelocation of the slit, as defined above). Thereby, the flat pocket 70 wasformed for holding the flat object 100, leaving a part 31 of the secondsection 30 (FIG. 2) free for adding there greetings or personal notes32, if desired. After the flat object 100 has been inserted into theflat pocket 70, the flap 60 was folded along the folding line 18 and thetongue 61 engaged the edge 49 of the cutout 45, thus covering the pocket70. To close the greeting card 10 and to present its front face, whichis typically ornamented, the third section 40 is to be finally foldedalong the folding line 16 to cover the second section 30 with the pocket70 covered by the flap 60.

[0031] It should be understood that a variety of alternatives exist,different from the design described above, to provide a greeting cardwith a pocket, in accordance with the present invention. Thus, some ofthe elements of the greeting card 10 may be eliminated. For example,FIG. 5 shows a sheet of material for forming a greeting card without thethird section 40. In other embodiments of the invention, the flap 60 orthe cutout 45 may not be provided. Also, the pocket 70 does not need tobe narrow but may occupy most of the second section, for example forholding a photograph. The flap 60 may be designed for the attachment ofits tongue 61 to the second section 30, rather than to the first section20, e.g. to securely close the pocket 70 at its side opposite thefolding line 18 between the second section 30 and the flap 60. Moreembodiments may, for example, incorporate different shapes of the cutout45, e.g. as shown in FIG. 5, of the flap 60, of the slits and tabs, oreven different shape of the entire card 60.

1. A greeting card made of a single sheet of material and adapted forholding a substantially flat object, comprising at least two sectionsseparated by a single folding line, a first of said two sections havinga smaller dimension than the second section in the directionperpendicular to said single folding line, wherein one of said twosections is formed with at least one slit spaced from the single foldingline and the other section is formed with at least one slit-engagingportion insertable into said at least one slit when the greeting card isfolded along said single folding line, whereby the first section liesflat over the second section and a pocket is formed for holding saidflat object.
 2. A greeting card according to claim 1, wherein saidsecond section is formed with said at least one slit and the firstsection is formed with said at least one slit-engaging portion.
 3. Agreeting card according to claim 2, wherein said one slit in said secondsection is generally parallel to said single folding line.
 4. A greetingcard according to claim 3, wherein said slit-engaging portion of saidfirst section is in the form of a tab formed at the edge of the firstsection opposite said folding line.
 5. A greeting card according toclaim 2, wherein a cutout is formed in the first section, in a positionadjacent to said one slit-engaging portion and extending along at leastmost of the length of the slit-engaging portion.
 6. A greeting cardaccording to claim 5, wherein said cutout enables the substantially flatobject, when held in said pocket, to be at least partially seen throughsaid cutout.
 7. A greeting card according to claim 1, wherein saidsecond section is formed with a single slit and said first section isformed with a single tab.
 8. A greeting card according to claim 6,wherein said second section is formed with a flap at its side separatedtherefrom by an additional folding line, said flap being adapted tocover said cutout.
 9. A greeting card according to claim 7, wherein saidflap is detachably attachable to said first section, when folded alongsaid additional folding line and when said greeting card is folded alongsaid single folding line.
 10. A greeting card according to claim 1,further comprising a third section substantially equal in size to thesecond section, separated there from by an additional folding lineparallel the folding line between the first and second section, suchthat when the third section is folded along said additional foldingline, it covers said second section with said pocket, to form anexternal face of the greeting card.
 11. A greeting card according toclaim 2, wherein said second section is formed with a single slit andsaid first section is formed with a single tab.
 12. A greeting cardaccording to claim 3, wherein said second section is formed with asingle slit and said first section is formed with a single tab.
 13. Agreeting card according to claim 4, wherein said second section isformed with a single slit and said first section is formed with a singletab.
 14. A greeting card according to claim 5, wherein said secondsection is formed with a single slit and said first section is formedwith a single tab.
 15. A greeting or the like card adapted for holding asubstantially flat object, comprising at least two sections, a first ofsaid two sections having a smaller dimension than the second section andbeing attached to the first section to form a pocket thereon for holdingsaid object, wherein a cutout is formed in the first section enablingsaid object, when held in said pocket, to be partially seen through saidcutout, and wherein a flap is provided in the card adapted to cover saidcutout without covering said second section in its entirety.
 16. A cardaccording to claim 15, wherein said flap is adapted to cover the entirefirst section of the card.
 17. A card according to claim 15, whereinsaid flap is adapted for being detachably attachable to said firstsection.
 18. A card according to claim 17, wherein said flap has one endformed integrally with the card and another end detachably attachable tothe first section.
 19. A card according to claim 15, further comprisinga third section attached, and substantially equal in size, to saidsecond section, the third section being adapted to cover said secondsection with said pocket, to form an external face of the card.